In Minnesota, more girls are playing high school tennis than ever before, and that's prompted a change this upcoming fall season.A third class will be added to the Minnesota State High School League's girls tennis teams this year. Under the previous two-class system, mid-size schools like Delano were forced to compete against some of the biggest programs in the state."It's a very exciting change," said Kelly Holmgren, head coach of the Delano girl's tennis team. "It's one that's long overdue."Holmgren...
In Minnesota, more girls are playing high school tennis than ever before, and that's prompted a change this upcoming fall season.
A third class will be added to the Minnesota State High School League's girls tennis teams this year. Under the previous two-class system, mid-size schools like Delano were forced to compete against some of the biggest programs in the state.
"It's a very exciting change," said Kelly Holmgren, head coach of the Delano girl's tennis team. "It's one that's long overdue."
Holmgren said the previous two-class system crushed the confidence of some of the players. Since 1978, there have only been eight years that Edina has not won the team state championship.
"It can sometimes be very discouraging to our players to show up and still play with all the heart that they have and all the work they put in," she said.
Holmgren, who is an alumna of the of the Tigers tennis team, competed on the last team to make it to the state tournament, when they were still a single-A school in 2006. The Tigers haven't progressed further since then.
"A lot of times we'll have a phenomenal season and then our post season ends with a loss to a school that's a lot bigger than us with a lot more resources and enrollment," said Holmgren.
Top doubles player Maddie Ring is hoping a stronger performance in the post season will help her get noticed by college programs.
"It means a lot to me. I'm glad that we get this chance to go beyond what we've done in the past years," Ring said.
And the seniors see an opportunity to end their time as Tigers.
There are now 194 programs in the state, and leading up to this year, Delano had Wayzata, Minnetonka and Maple Grove in their section, some of the biggest in the state.
This season they'll be facing similar sized and competitive schools like Annandale, Big Lake, Robbinsdale-Cooper and Orono.
Marielle Mohs
Marielle Mohs is thrilled to be telling stories in her home state of Minnesota. She grew up in Eden Prairie and South Minneapolis.